Joaquin Phoenix in talks to play Doctor Strange for Marvel

Los Angeles
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Recently, Marvel Studios announced plans to expand their movie universe to include sorcerer Doctor Strange. Now, they could be close to securing the actor to play him.

According to Deadline Hollywood, Walk The Line and Her actor Joaquin Phoenix has entered talks to play Strange. It was rumored that Marvel had originally been in talks with Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch, but he was one of several actors on a list which also included Jared Leto and Tom Hardy.

Marvel Studios recently secured Scott Derrickson (director of Deliver Us from Evil) to direct the movie and Prometheus writer John Spaihts to write it.

Doctor Strange will be yet another franchise included in Marvel Studio's 14-year plan for superhero movies. Studio president Kevin Feige told Businessweek that there is not much hope for recovering the rights to the X-Men or Spiderman, but the lack of those properties allowed Marvel to delve into the rest of the Marvel catalog.

The Sorcerer Supreme made his first appearance in Marvel Comics in Strange Tales #110 in 1963. Born of Midwest parents in 1930, Strange was first a doctor before an accident damaged the nerves in his hands. He sought a mystical cure from a sorcerer called The Ancient One, eventually becoming his disciple. Over the course of his career, he has been a member of The Avengers, the Defenders, and the Midnight Sons.